Labour Ministry staff benefit from HIV/AIDS sensitisation training

Some 20 of the Labour Ministry’s staff on Wednesday participated in a one-day sensitisation training on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), as the Ministry continues to work towards fostering a safe and supportive work environment for HIV-positive individuals.
The training aimed to improve employees’ core knowledge of HIV and key populations to help to reduce stigma and discrimination, and improve relationships with key communities.
The staffers were also trained in preventative methods such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP); Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and HIV self-testing.
The session, organised by the Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department, was led by staff from the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), including Senior Trainer Christopher France and Key Population Coordinator Eson Crandon.
Also in attendance were Deputy Permanent Secretary Denise Sealey, OSH Consultant Gwyneth King, Cooperative Officer Winetth Collymore, Labour Officer Candaiscee West, and technical officers of the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), among other officials.
This training comes only a few weeks after NAPS, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Labour Ministry, hosted a consultation with necessary stakeholders to discuss the pre-existing HIV/AIDS workplace policy and how best to adjust it.
The original policy was developed in 2009 to protect persons living with HIV against harassment or victimisation within the workplace, given the level of discrimination they usually face, particularly in terms of their employment.
Reportedly, similar consultations are to continue within private and public sector workplaces until September, after which employers will be informed of the updated policies and relevant personnel will have the opportunity to make recommendations before the report is officially sent to the Labour Ministry.
This updated policy aims to include guidelines from the International Labour Organisation’s updated Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026.